Chapter Text
“They say smoke blows in the direction of the prettiest person around,” Jesse murmured as he watched the flames crackle and spark around the rapidly burning skyscraper.
Lake pressed a kiss to his lover’s neck, his fingers burning into Jesse’s shoulder as he blinked smoke out of his eyes and rose the blazes higher. “I don’t know about that, but the view from here is pretty killer,” he replied with a chuckle.
“People’ll die down there, you really want to make that kind of joke?” Jesse fidgeted, tapping his fingers together and trying not to think of everyone who would suffer the slow death of burning alive. “Horrible people, but people all the same.”
His boyfriend just shrugged, yet the dangerous glint in his eyes suggested it was best to drop the subject.
The complex had been full of corrupt NHU overlords, drunk and sentencing their heroes off to die fighting nemeses— no, entities— too powerful for them to have a chance with. The pair had needed to make a statement, one that couldn’t be overlooked by the news or the NHU. One that couldn’t be passed off as a freak accident or an attack from a rogue vigilante.
Once Lake had finished immersing the giant headquarters in flames, Jesse used a charred, fallen chunk of metal to carve deep into the ground:
SENTINEL. TITANIO. ELEKTRIKA. THEIR BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS.
The fallen supers had been sent on a fruitless mission, deployed by the NHU to retrieve data from Flagro and several other supervillains. Yet, in a shocking video revealed by an anonymous security guard at the NHU, it had been discovered that Vince Martin, one of Bryant Luther’s own right hands, had sold the heroes out to Flagro for money that might as well have been steeped in the heroes’ very blood.
As the screeching sirens of firetrucks rang through the night, Lake anxiously twisted a curl between his fingers, his leg beginning to bounce where it rested against the scaffolding of the cell tower.
“Moonlighter should be back by now,” he mused. “He got the building’s shields down, we know that much, but there’s no sign he’s freed the prisoners, and I’d hardly suspect it’d take him this long.”
“I’ll go find him to help, those prisoners could become valuable allies,” Jesse said quickly, securing his mask over his face and pressing a farewell kiss to Lake’s cheek.
“You could—”
“I’ll be fine,” he shushed. “Don’t wait for me, I’ll make it back to the base with Moonlighter before you have time to miss me.”
Gunshots rang through the night, and it was clear that they were aimed at the tower the two were perched on.
“Go! They’re coming!” Jesse insisted. Before Lake could protest, he leapt off the structure, his mind straining as he tore off nearby branches and placed them under him to carry him down the last few feet. He hit the ground running towards the building, fading into the air as he engaged his invisibility.
Lake sighed and flicked the switch at the back of his suit, activating the firepowered jetpack he’d had made for cases like these— ones where a quick escape was needed. He disappeared into the night with a rush of white smoke trailing behind him, resisting the urge to glance back at the burning headquarters. If Moonlighter fucking sold us out…